The Flame alchemist's son
by joanamaria33
Summary: Roy Mustang has noticed the cold attitude his was getting from his son Saito and decided to do something about their relationship.
1. Chapter 1

chapter 1: The cold relationship between father and son

Roy and Riza lived happily with their two children. Saito and Sienna were making their lives much more interesting and they also gave them a purpose. The happy couple could not wish for more, but in Roy's case, there actually was something that he desired. While his relationship with his daughter was perfect, he had the impression that his son may be afraid of him. Afraid of his own father.

Saito rarely talked with him and has never asked him about his opinion or anything else. Not that he did not respect him. Quite the opposite-the boy did respect him strongly, but this respect itself was part of the reason why their relationship felt kind of distant. The poor child did not feel worthy enough of Roy Mustang's love and respect. He thought that he must do something to deserve them which was why he was doing his best not to fail or screw up in front of him. When he talked to him, it was in a professional, rather than a personal and family-like, manner. Also, he lacked the courage to reveal him that he was planning to become a writer, out of worry that he might get yelled at, or at least critisized.

Roy never knew what was the reason for the attitude his son was giving him, but he wanted to do something about it. His mission to protect and serve his country was one thing, but his mission to have a healthy relationship with his own son was far greater. The question was how was he going to do it. And then it hit him-he decided to take the entire family out on a short vacation. He was going to use it as a chance to get close to Saito. Spending a little time together when there is nothing else to bother them was the perfect option. No paperwork, no noises from the streets, no schedules. And what was said, was done.

Roy took a few days off for both him and Riza. They told the children that they were going out on a family trip:

-"Guess what, children?"-Riza attracted the attention of the twins.

-"What is it, mommy?"-Sienna was the first who responded. Saito was just standing next to her and was listening carefully, without saying a word.

-"We decided to go on a family vacation. The entire family."-Roy happily delivered the news to the children.

-"Will Black Hayate come too?"-Sienna asked, while holding the family dog in a loving hug.

-"Of course, he will. He is part of the family."-Riza said with a motherly smile on her face.

-"I have great plans for us."-Roy started to reveal his ideas to the children. Sienna was listening enthusiastically, but Saito was still as silent as before. He was excited as well, but not in the same way as his twin sister.-"But most importantly, we are going to spend some time together with you, son."-He looked at Saito and gently put his hands on his son's shoulders.-"We do not spend much time together and it is all my fault. With so much work on my shoulders, I do not have much time for my family, especially for you. I am sure that are going to have a great time together."

Although he never meant to scare him, Roy's words made Saito feel really anxious. The boy found the idea terrifying. To be left alone under the Flame alchemist's supervision, is not something he was fine with. But the Flame alchemist was also his father and he must not refuse anything. So he did not say anything and just nodded, while trying to hold his shivers. Roy noticed that Saito is feeling scared and he gave him a loving and warm hug. Saito shaked, but he did not push Roy. He was still scared, but there was something else that made him feel kind of...

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

chapter 2: The plan begins...or does it?

That made him feel kind of...safe. What could it be?

The next day, the whole family started to prepare their luggage. Once everything was done, they all got in the car and hit the road. While they traveled, Riza was reading a book, Sienna was staring at the view through the car windows, Black Hayate was sleeping, but Saito kept thinking about what Roy said yesterday.

After 3 long hours of driving, they finally reached their destination- a beautiful wooden house, right next to a lake. Sienna was very excited to be there. The moment they arrived, she immediately jumped out of the car and started to explore the whole place. She grabbed her brother by the hand and dragged him with her, because she rarely went anywhere without him. And without forcing him to come with her. Black Hayate followed them. He often accompanied the children in their little adventures. He was pretty much like their best friend. Their parents were watching them with glee. Roy and Riza loved watching how their children were having fun together. And how their really different personalities were working with each other.

A few hours passed since their arrival. The sun was starting to set. Sienna and Riza stayed at home to prepare the dinner, while Roy and Saito were outside to prepare the table and fire. Roy gave the dishes to the boy and told him to put them on the table, so that there would be one for each person:

-"Here you go, son! Put them on the table, so that there would be one for each person-mama, your sister, me and you."

Saito nerviously took the dishes and started to do what he was told to do, while his father was arranging the fire. He took out his well-known ignition gloves and with one snap of the finger, he created fire. The sound of the snapping caused Saito to shake a little. The boy had a pretty good idea what kind of gloves these were and what they were capable of. He have heard stories about how his father has used them in wars and battles (the murdered homunculi, for example).

Roy did not seem to have noticed that his son got a little scared by the gloves, because he did not react much. He just turned around, standed up and went to the boy. Out of nowhere, when he saw his father coming closer, Saito stepped backward and turned his face in a such direction, so he could not face Roy. Then, he shivered again.

Just by looking at this, Roy felt another heartbreak. Appearantly, showing his son that he loves him and that the child has no reason to fear him, was not going to be easy. In an attempt for a better relationship, Roy decided to start a casual converastion:

-"So...Do you like it here?"

Saito simply barely shook his head as a sign of agreement and gave a quiet "Yes" which was not easy to hear. Roy kept the conversation going:

-"You do know that while we are here you can do anything you want. As long as you do not cause a fire, of course. This is my job."-he tried to put a little humor into the conversation, but Saito did not show much reaction.

Roy saw that things were not going smoothly. He gave a sigh and thought about anything else that he could say, until he heard the quiet sound of his son's voice:

-"D-D-Da...Father..."

-"Yes, son!"-Roy felt a little excited. He thought that maybe he was getting somewhere, until...

-"May I go and sit on that stump, so I can read, while we wait for dinnertime."

Roy felt very disappointed. His face was showing it all. Every one of their conversations was like this one. When he heard that his son wanted to say something, he thought that maybe the child has decided to take part. That maybe he was not as much scared of him as before. But how wrong he was. It seemed that his son wanted to do absolutely nothing with him. There were moments when he thought that Saito maybe even hates him:

-"Yes, you may."-he answered to the boy's question.

Saito immediately rushed to get a book and the moment he got it, he sat on the stump and started to read, without making a noise. Riza and Sienna were finally ready with the food preparations and they started to take all the food outside. When Roy saw them, he gave a little smile. Despite that he himself was feeling miserable, he wanted to look happy in the eyes of the other members of his family, so he that he will not ruin their vacation. But do not get the wrong impression. He was still not ready to give up. He WILL find a way to win Saito's heart.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

chapter 3: Plan **B**

I apologize if there are any mistakes I have forgotten to correct.

During the dinner, Roy had quite a depressed expression on his face. Saito did not look very happy too. Riza noticed this and she started to think of a way to lift the mood. She began to ask questions:

-"So Roy, did you have fun with Saito while preparing the table together?"

-"No."-his answer was very short and said in a very deadpan tone.

-"Saito, hunny, did you have a good time with papa?"-Riza looked worried while saying this. It was obvious that there was pressure between the guys.

And her worry was justified, since Saito did not respond. He was probably feeling that he is going to regret his answer.

There was a long moment of silence, until Sienna broke it with her voice:

-"I am so bored now. You people are all so depressing. With that speed I might get old very quickly."

-"Then what do you suggest?"-Roy reacted with sass.

-"Scary stories. If you dare!"

-"I dare, but do you dare?"

-"I don't dare. They might be too scary for me. What if someone gets hurt...Of course I dare. Why do you even ask?! How about you, brother?"

-"I think it is a good idea."

It may sound weird, but Saito was indeed a type of person who enjoyed scary stories. Some might think that due to his gentle personality, he could get scared pretty easily. That was true for many things, but scary stories were not among them:

-"Okay, who is gonna be first?"-Sienna asked enthusiastically.

-"That will be me."-Roy volunteered.

The children were both ready to listen. Saito took Black Hayate in his arms and embraced him in a warm hug. Riza was also interested.

Roy thought for a moment, until he finally picked a story:

" _Ages ago, there was a young man who lived in these woods_. _Despite his lovely appearance, his personality was nothing to be admired. The man was snobby, rude, selfish, materialistic, narcissistic and greedy. He thought that he could have anything in the world, until one day, Fate decided to teach him a lesson._

 _He received a letter which said that in the town, a beautiful maiden lived and she was waiting for him to marry her. The letter described the woman as so beautiful, that even the sun cannot be as shiny. And so rich, that even the wealthiest of people_ _would seem like a low-class._

 _After reading this, the man thought that he will finally have a wife who can produce him an heir, but after that he was going to steal all of her money and run away with the child. A cruel plan, indeed._

 _So, he took his carriage and ordered the horses to move. Although, while on his way to town, one of the wheels broke. The sound scared the horses and they both tried to run into different directions, in order to save themselves. When the man got out of the carriage, he yelled at them to stop. They did not listen, so he took out his whip and hit the horses with it. One of them did not want to be a victim of this and she ran towards the man. The mare kicked him right in the chest, sending him right to the lake that was right next to. Since the man was not able to swim, he drowned._

 _Legend has it, that his spirit still inhabits the lake, waiting for innocent people who are foolish enough to visit the area, so he can..."_

-"To do what? What will he do?"-Sienna wanted to know what the legend says, though...

-"I cannot tell you. Nobody knows what will happen. If you think about it, this makes the story even scarier."-Roy smirked. The legend had no ending.

-"You are right, daddy! It is quite creepy. Don't you think so, brother?"-Sienna directed her eyes to her twin who, surprisingly, was not scared by the story.

-"Yes, it is creepy."-He said in a gentle tone. Roy and Riza both smiled at each other, until they heard their son's voice.-"May we, please, hear another one?"-He asked Roy.

-"No, pal! Sorry! Now it is the time when little boys and girls must go to bed."-His response only made Sienna as disappointed as every child can be when they are ordered to go to bed.

-"Oh, come on!"

-"Listen to your father, children!"-Riza joined.

-"Okay!"-the couple's 6-year old daughter eventually agreed. Together with her younger brother, she went to their bedroom.

After the children left, Roy and Riza stayed to deal with taking the dishes inside the house. When they finally got the job done, they both went to their own bedroom and put on their pajamas. Before falling asleep, out of curiosity, Riza asked:

-"You know, I could not help but notice that Saito actually talked to you. It has been forever since the last time."

-"I noticed too. For the first time in forever, he was treating me like a father, not a scary soldier."

-"What happened between you two, while Sienna and I were in the kitchen?"

-"In short, it was another failed attempt to bond with my child."

-"Ooh..."

-"I tried to start a normal conversation with him, but he never even looked at me."

-"And yet, you seem happy now."

-"I am. I doubt that this development will last long, though, I am still not ready to give up. You will see, hunny! You will see me becoming a father to my son."

-"I am so glad for you. Actually, I have always wondered why is Saito so scared of you. Honestly, everytime you try to tell him something, he acts like he does not even know you."

-"I do not know. He never told me. He has been like this ever since he was born. As a baby, when I tried to hold him in my arms, he immediately started crying. He has never cried when you were holding him."

 _Meanwhile, in the children's bedroom..._

-"What happened between you and papa, while mama and I were in the kitchen?"-Sienna was curious to know what happened between the guys.

-"I do not want to talk about it."

-"Ow, come on! You have always been like this. You can talk to me. You can talk to mama. You can even talk to Black Hayate. But when it comes to papa, you become mute."

-"It is because I do not want to look like a fool."-the boy began to raise his voice.

-"In front of who?"

-"In front of him."

-"In front of dad?"

-"Yes!"

-"But why?"

-"I do not want him to think that I am pathetic and unworthy."

-"And you think that you succeed in it by doing absolutely nothing?"

-"I am not."

-"Yes, you do. He does not even know that you desire to become a writer."

-"I do not want to tell him."

-"Why?"

-"I do not want to get critisized or mocked."

-"This is stupid. You told me."

-"It is different. You are my twin sister."

-"Did you tell mommy?"

-"No, not yet."-he started to calm down.

-"Try telling, at least one of them tomorrow! Please!"-Sienna's voice started to calm down as well.

-"Okay!"

-"Good night, little brother!

-"Good night, sister!

To be continued...


End file.
